Save the date: Registration for 2013 UNCTAD Public Symposium open until 1 June 2013

Save the date: Registration for 2013 UNCTAD Public Symposium open until 1 June 2013

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will hold its 2013 Public Symposium – the entity’s annual outreach event – on 24-25 June 2013 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The two-day event will bring together representatives from government, academia, civil society and the private sector, as well as other interested observers in order to engage in an open and interactive dialogue on key trade and development issues.

UNCTAD recognizes that efforts now under way to renew the global partnership for development are taking place in a very different world from the one that gave rise to the Millennium Development Goals at the turn of the century. The recent confluence of global crises (economic, financial, food, energy and climate crises) served as stark reminders that “business as usual” is no longer an option. There is an urgent need for new economic approaches for a coherent post-2015 development agenda capable of tackling these multiple challenges – manifest notably in rising inequalities, persistent high unemployment, growing economic insecurity and environmental disasters.

The 2013 edition of the Symposium will therefore focus on the following two themes: • Macroeconomic and financial governance on the road to 2015 • Trade and investment rules for inclusive and sustainable development

The Symposium will include a combination of moderated plenary sessions with leading experts and personalities from developed and developing countries and parallel group sessions organized by UNCTAD, civil society and partner organizations. The full programme will be made available here in due time.

As per past practice, the outcome of the Symposium will be submitted as an input to upcoming sessions of the Trade and Development Board. It may also be transmitted to the United Nations General Assembly, and may serve as an input to the consultation process on the post-2015 international development agenda.

On-line registration (mandatory) is opened until 1 June. To register for the event, click here.

For more information on how you can contribute your view on the two key themes, click here.